As you may or may not know by now, the Museum has been gifted a bridge. And not just any bridge. A B&M Howe Pony Covered Truss Bridge. By the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. This bridge has had it's trusses rebuilt, and comes with new cross timbers. We have been working with the NSPCB president Bill Caswell to iron out the details and help preserve this bridge as a historic structure.

There is some history that this bridge had. The Moose Brook Bridge on the Boston and Maine Berlin (NH) Branch. The line was abandoned in 1993 and turned rail-trail, then someone burnt the bridge in 2004. This is the reason for rebuilding. You can read about it more here, and what the original plan for the restored bridge was here..http://bridgehunter.com/nh/coos/moose-brook/Note, some of the links on that page no longer work or are not active..

This bridge also comes with assembly paid for. Through a prearranged agreement between the National Park Service and a company called Barns & Bridges of New England.

We are responsible for any additional expenses. For example, we will be allowing Barns and Bridges to stay at the house during the assembly, and our volunteers will help with assembly to assist the contractor in timely completion. Also, any modifications that are made to the bridge, we assume the cost of that.

Current plans are for pressure treating of timbers this fall before assembly in Sheepscot. Assembly needs to take place before December 31, as this is the date the funding for assembly expires. This funding has already been extended several times, and asking for another extension may not be favorable.

This is the Snyder Brook Bridge. A sister to the Moose Brook Bridge we have been offered. It was removed from its abuttments about 4 years ago, the abuttments repaired and new siding installed and reset back into position. These images are from July 4th, 2017.

On 8/8/17 we had a drill rig come and take core samples at Trout Brook to determine what kind of foundation will be needed for the bridge abutments. Core samples were taken every 5 feet until the 45 foot mark when the casing in the bore hole broke. The original plan was to drill until bedrock was hit but the engineer determined we had enough soil data for the abutments at 45 feet. The bore hole was in glacial till (gravel) when the casing broke. The next thing the drill would have hit was bedrock however far down the rock was. The bore hole consisted of the railroad fill, then the usual layer of clay found in the Alna area, and then the glacial till.

Drilling rig

Drilling rig setup on the right of way on the north side of Trout Brook.

Looking up to the right of way from Trout Brook.

Pulling out the drill pipe to put the bore sample tube down the hole.

Drilling down another five feet.

The driller checking to see what kind of material is coming back up the pipe in the water.

My just-arrived WW&F Annual Fund Drive letter shows a perfect, timely gift to the railroad...Eric Schade's sketch of a Howe, pony truss covered bridge to span Trout Brook, donated by the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges Inc., with assembly funds from the National Park Service, Historic Engineering Record!

WW&F will need to pay for "site preparation, approaches, abutments, actual erection of the bridge". There is a timetable for acceptance, with plans to bring bridge parts to Sheepscot "later this year" by volunteers for rebuild to 2-foot gauge.Permitting and site soil test borings are now done.

Sooooo, we are hoping to get the "Moose Brook" bridge? How appropriate for the area. Almost had my truck wiped out by one returning to Bangor on 218 after a day at the RR back in 2011. Are we planning on having a true covered bridge with a full roof or just side sheathed?